Recycling at it's best

It is amazing what can come out of a casual conversation.  We popped into Deb and Roberts on our way to the block and stopped for a chat and a coffee... well it would be rude to refuse.  I happened to mention that I was keen to invest in some posts and have a go at making my first raised veggie bed.

Before we knew it we were on our way to a local farmers (50 km away) to pick up some 'old' vineyard support posts.  After negotiating a very good price (90p each) we selected 40 of the best of the 8' posts, they all have a lovely weathered look and a bit of character to them.  Whilst there I happened to mention I needed some hay, within seconds the big trailer was being loaded up.  It was so lucky we had the big trailer and Roberts UTE so we could carry it all back to the block.  

All that was needed now was some really good soil... again Deb and Robert came to the rescue.  They just happened to need their 'old' drive reveling and offered us the soil.  So the next day we made a start and dug and moved a couple of big trailer loads.  The days, at the moment, start off on the chilly side and warm up to anywhere between 20 and 35 degrees.  Today it got up to the 35 mark which is not the best for digging, it was a bit hard going but such a wonderful feeling to have done some hard physical work.  I discovered once you find your own rhythm digging becomes like a meditation, it's a great feeling.

Rick needed to dig some fairly deep holes at the block for a new lean to carport at the back of the big shed (barn) and after hitting some fairly solid limestone decided the way forward was to hire a 'Dingo'.  These nifty little machines, also come complete with diggers.  In hardly any time and with just a few bruises Rick mastered the controls and the drive was dug.  Surprisingly it took 6 very large trailer loads in the end.

And we had a very satisfying small mountain of beautiful topsoil in which to grow our veggies.  Deep joy.

The holes for the new lean-to were dug.  I think Fred thought Rick was trying to find old bones for him!

After a lot of checking the spirit level, nail biting moments of Rick and Robert just about balanced on ladders which were balanced on the back of the UTE the really tall posts were in place.



It was a very long but very satisfying day and we did sleep well that night.

The next day after digging the post holes for my raised veggie bed the Dingo was returned to the hire company.  The day was warming up Rick and I felt we could do with a break so we took off for a spin in Dora.

We took the scenic route which was beautiful and varied from great tall trees to wide open fields.  We spotted an Echidna crossing the road.  These are like small shy porcupines which would rather play dead than attack with their spiny armoured coats.

Eventually you could smell the sea.  Southend on Sea is a very sleepy little holiday destination, packed with happy campers, a lovely sandy beach and hardly anything else.


This roundabout at Beachport made us smile, this is a very colourful and much busier little town with a lovely harbour front, hopefully you'll be able to see the beautifully decorated roundabout.

Back to the block....  It's taken about a week and much help from Harry (and he thought he'd come here for a holiday) loads of heavy soil shifting, advice and encouragement from Deb (what would I do without her) and I finally completed the first raised veggie bed.

 I'm amazed at just how much soil has been used to fill this 4' x 16' bed.  I started by using a whole heap of newspaper I picked up from the recycling centre to line the bed and act as a weed suppressant.  Followed by a generous layer of the hay which we topped with very mature sheep poo we dug up from the small lean to by the side of the shed.  Topping off with the beautiful top soil from Deb and Roberts drive.  I've been raising some veggie seeds and after raking in a layer of blood and bone I'll start the planting.

We've got bush beans, baby beetroot, silverbeet, onions to start with, broccoli and broadbeans will follow shortly.  It's also the season for planting coriander, mint, parsley, garlic and chives.  We also managed to get the golden passion flower in the ground along with it's pot companion the rock melon.  After the initial shock of being moved they very quickly picked up and all doing really well.

Hopefully will will soon start to reap the benefits of finally having our own veggie patch.... I can hardly wait.

Autumn abundance

Autumn has well and truly arrived... but it still feels a little odd to be experiencing Autumnal weather in March!  It's now dark when we set off for our early morning walk but when we start  to head for home the sun is rising and we are treated to the most amazing skies.

Naracoorte seems to have two main hills, we currently live on one and once the house is built will be moving across to the other.  Our current morning walk takes us along one of the ridges with a great view over the plains and glimpses of Naracoorte airport.  It looks quite magical in the early morning mists.

Stunning Bougainvilleas continue to flower and tomatoes, chilli's, peppers (capsicum) and the rest of the in season potato family are continuing to ripen.  In our tiny garden here at the unit we've finally got flowers on the courgettes (zuchinnis) fingers crossed the female ones will start to arrive soon.  Our golden passion fruit is climbing like Jacks Beanstalk and seems very happy to continue to share it's 'pot' with a rock melon... well we think it's a rock melon as we didn't plant it we not 100%, both doing very well and there is a promise of flowers on the later.

Just over the fence our neighbours fig is heavy with fruit and the local lorikeets, sparrows, blackbirds and starlings noisily feast on the freshly ripened ones.  It's brilliant fun watching them and they make one hell of a happy racket.

Having been given a huge amount of beautifully sweet grapefruits I've been busy discovering my inner domestic goddess... ok that description is possibly going a little far.  But as I've been craving homemade marmalade it was a perfect excuse and I managed to turn quite a few of the fruit into a yummy marmalade that was clear and set beautifully.  I'd not been aware what a minefield finding a recipe that works would be and in the end made up my own, it is still touch and go that it will work. How did our Grandmothers cope!

Having finally finished with the grapefruit I was given enough Granny Smiths to sink a battleship and the challenge was on I was determined not to waste any.  So I've now made Apple Chutney, Apple and Chilli Jelly, Apple and Sage Chilli, and stewed quite a few turning some recently into a delicious Apple Scrumble.  The cupboards are now heaving with preserves and I've really enjoyed myself... inner domestic goddess well and truly satisfied.

All plants on the block are doing fantastically well and coping with our very saline bore water.  We've taken the advice of the experts and have been flooding the plants, the sandy soil acts as a brilliant filter and seems to desalinate the water.

We've now put a bench under the peppercorn tree, which by the way is starting to form fruits (tiny pink peppercorns, which unfortunately are inedible).  It is a perfect place to just sit an be or catch breath before heading off to start another job!

Work on the water tanks was started, the small metal one moved, leak repaired and fitted to the smaller bit of roof.

Ground leveled, Mount Gambier stone cut (with a saw would you believe) and laid as the footing for the new tank.  The fascia boards have been painted a very dashing racing green and with a great deal of effort and running up and down ladders put into position. Very good for the gluts you know!








Almost ready for the much promised rains.  I'm sure when they do eventually start it will seem they will be going on forever.  But for now it never ceases to surprise me that no matter how much watering you do the ground very quickly gets dry again.  There is very little danger of plants being over watered here.

Friends, Francis Folk & Flowers

This past week has been another beautiful and busy week, we had great fun showing some of the sites to our first UK visitors to Naracoorte and we got more jobs done on the block, always work to do there but lots of fun. 

To start with the Easter Lillies which had never flowered in our Adelaide garden have at last flowered and look fantastic.  An added bonus and a great surprise was the scent they have which I'd not noticed before I got close enough to take this photo, it's like a very gentle lily of the valley and very beautiful.  And then when we discovered they are native to Australia, our cup was over flowing.

Much to our delight and surprise we've found that there is always something happening here in the country and just recently was the Frances Folk Gathering.  Frances is a very tiny town, in the UK it would qualify for being called a hamlet it's that tiny.  For the last 15 years the good and musically talented folk of the township pool their skills and together with a small group of supporters in Adelaide put on a weekend of folk music and fun.  It's brilliant, over the three day event they play host to some fantastic music, anyone who can play, sing or just want to listen can turn up and join in the fun.  We managed to miss most of it but the little we did see has now got us making plans for next years event.

Whilst sitting chewing the cud in Deb and Roberts back garden this little chap flew down for a bath.  He is a Rufus Wren and about the size of a UK Great Tit but with a beautiful fan tail.

We have now had our first UK visitors to Naracoorte.  Our lovely friends Lara and Austyn dropped in on their way to the Great Ocean Road and Melbourne.  It was our first opportunity to show off the sites and made us realise just how much there is to see and do here.


Wine tasting aside, the choice of which is vast and in abundance we also visited the Naracoorte Caves.

This whole area is called the Limestone Coast and, we discovered, was under the ocean some 60 million years ago.  When the tide finally went out it left a huge sand bank which eventually became Naracoorte and the surrounding towns and some amazing caves.

These caves have since become home to some beautiful micro bats, which need to be encouraged as they are very handy to have around, they eat all sorts of tiny insects.

As the caves formed huge Calcite drifts also developed, this one looked like an unimpressive blob of melted wax.  Then our guide demonstrated it's true beauty by holding a torch up to the calcite which lit the crystals up beautifully.

The caves are also home to other wee creatures sound asleep on this ridge you may just be able to make out a possum, it's tail is curled up over it's nose.  What we couldn't see was it's baby tucked up very safely out of sight and probably sound asleep just like it's mum.

Hopefully we have managed to give Lara and Austyn a good taste of what's on offer.

Mean while at the block.....

The grass has been growing really well since Pete's sheep were moved.  Rick noticed one of our neighbours pet Merinos trying to get her head through the fence and happily to obliged by picking a handful for her.  Is it me or is she smiling?

Autumn here has officially started and with the promise of rain we needed to start to sort out our rainwater tanks.  The old metal one is to be moved to the back of the large shed and smaller roof/gutter area.  And a brand new one has been purchased to replace it.  But before the new one could be installed we needed to take out the old posts....hmmmm.

Robert and Deb were on hand to lend enthusiasm, advice and their digging skills. I'm now adding to my ever growing skills base by learning how to not only pick up a sledge hammer but also swing it and hit what I'm aiming for!

The posts were well and truly buried but eventually, after persistent digging, a wee bit of swearing, bashing with the sledge hammer, wiggling and a monkey grip, they were wrestled out of the ground.

It was like trying to move a mini caber but I was determined to carry the thing out of the way.

 

It was a great bit of team work accompanied by much fun and laughter.